


And he keeps wakin' up / But it's not to the sound of birds

by lover_of_blue_roses



Series: Jimercury Week 2020&21 [5]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Android AU, Detective!Jim, Detroit Become Human AU, Jim Is Soft, Jimercury Week 2020, M/M, android deserve rights goddamn it, android!brian, android!freddie, freddie is soft, freedom from 'slavery', its not slavery if they are androids, they just need to hug okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22604248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_of_blue_roses/pseuds/lover_of_blue_roses
Summary: Detective Jim Hutton discovers an android that has been turned off for many many years. It's more than responsibility that makes him what to help and care for them in this new world.
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury, pre slash - Relationship
Series: Jimercury Week 2020&21 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1622485
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Jimercury Week 2020





	And he keeps wakin' up / But it's not to the sound of birds

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Cyberpunk  
> apparently i hear cyberpunk and i do is think of detroit become human

The android was slowly coming to life and similarly to a human this was marked by the sound of their breathing (coolings fans) and the hum of their heart (processors). Their eyes fluttered open to reveal that their design had been dark features, raven hair and dark brown eyes. Like most androids, they are created to be beautiful, sharp jawline and even sharper cheekbones and yet... And yet somehow their beauty that once must have been perfect has aged and passed like all trends do. Society now favoriting different haircuts to say nothing of lip or nose preferences. 

Yet to Detective Jim, that was tasked with reawakening, nay bring back to life, this android, he couldn't help but to see his beauty as timeless. Like an iconic actor or star from the past, their beauty remains only accentuated by the devotion that went into creating this face when literally any other could have been possible. 

The eyes focus on Jim and they reply in a beautiful and cultured accent, "Hello, I'm Freddie Mercury FB-5946." Their eyes do not flick over his uniform but they not it all the same, "Are you a police detective?"

"Detective Jim Hutton."

"Detective Hutto-" / "Just call me Jim." / "Jim, I seem to be unable to access the internet." 

"Ah- Well yes, you seem to have been decommissioned," Jim wonders how to break it to them gently. For all that their emotions are only simulations, they've always seemed perfectly real to Jim, "For a long time we suspect."

"Oh... Oh I see," It's clear this is devastating news to the android. For all that they might be synthetic, Jim has never seen them act unfeelingly and this is clearly bad news.

"I've been asked to reactiv- reawaken you in case you should know who your owner is or if you've been active or in stasis mode and have any information to share."

Freddie's expression falls, "No, I'm sorry officer. I suspect I have no recent information aside from the fact that I was sold by my last owner Paul J. Prenter on November 24th, 2091 to the Blue Valley Corporation." 

Jim can't help but to cringe, it has been many years since then. "It's been a long time since Blue Valley was still around, we'll have to see if they have any further information about who might have purchased you although-" Although it's going to be a dead end. A company that goes bankrupt is an excellent place to hide away merchandise. 

"I see," and Jim can do nothing but hear real sorrow in that tone, "If I cannot be evidence, am I to be disassembled then?"

Jim shoots a look at the techs still clearing the scene, it's only Crystal and Jobby, people he's known since he first joined the force and unlike Ratty, people that are trustworthy. "Well- Technically as you are not property of the police department and you are not in the name of this property's owner, you could-" He shoots another look, there's no way they won't notice but the real question is will they be on his side. 

Jobby finally notices that his attention is needed and elbows Crystal. They both look at him, casually and unconcerned, yet Jim feels agitated and anxious. This isn't just someone's freedom or continuation, this is a life, a whole life that could last countless more years, far more than Jim might have. He shoots a nervous look to Freddie where he hangs still half in the suspension bag. "Ah," Is all Crystal says. "Dude, I think if you just ask Beach, he'll give him to you," Jobby replies casually. 

But that slight chance he won't, it feels like too much to risk and yet is it not Jim's job, his livelihood on the line. He helps Freddie out of the suspension bag, Freddie is wearing a casual nearly timeless white tank top and jeans with sneaks. He doesn't have any visible damage and Jim hopes that hard or software problems aren't the reason he was put on indefinite decommission.

Freddie doesn't seem to have any mobility problem, "Are you- are you well?" Jim considers what the lingo might be, "Are your systems all working?"

Freddie smiles shyly, curling his fingers of his rather prominent mouth as though to hide away his happiness. "My scans can detect no errors," he reports before softening again and looking at the detective, "I am well, Jim." 

They continue to were another Jim, one Captain Jim Beach, is watching his officers work. Not only was the trafficking a giant bust, finding countless merchandise but also many of the hopefully key traffickers to say nothing of the potential smoking gun that could be hidden in all their effects. 

Jim sends a text to call him over, all the officers don't need to witness this if it's not going to end well. Beach approaches his detective and looks over the extremely life like android, denoted by the glowing symbol of a burning phoenix on his chest, clearly visible by the low scooped tank top. Still to his credit, because Hutton has definitely seen how others sometimes treat android, Beach greets them with a polite, "Hello, I'm Captain Jim Beach of the police department."

"Thank you for identifying yourself as I am unable to connect to the internet at this time." His brow furrows slightly, "And you are also a Jim?" He looks at Hutton as though he can't comprehend this properly, his software must be old if he needs different identifiers simply because he doesn't have internet access. "I am Freddie Mercury FB-5946."

"You can call me Captain Beach," Beach offers as an identifier to hopefully clear up this problem.

Rather than the continual compliance Hutton is use to with androids, and seemingly as Freddie has displayed, the bot instead taps a finger to his chin, humming before shaking his head. "Hmm, no I think not. That's terribly boring. How about Miami? I dub thee Miami Beach!" He says dramatically and with a flourish. 

Beach doesn't even really blink at this change in titles, not even bothering to rebuke or command otherwise, he simply turns to his detective that informs him what he's been told, "He hasn't been awake since '91. No information for us, but I was thinking since his license is sold under the name of Blue Valley, that I could have him." 

Again, to his credit, Beach doesn't even hesitate to nod his approval. "But don't you already have one at home, that one from the ballet case?"

"Freestone," He hasn't gonna around to naming him yet, hoping they would somehow one day pick a name themself and thus still refers to tehm by its product line name. "Yes I do but I was thinking another one could be useful to-" He hesitates, a lie at the tip of his tongue. How easy it would be to lie and say that he wants Freddie for the kind of intimate services Freestone was not built to handle, Freddie certainly is beautiful enough, but he doesn't, knowing that one way or another the truth would come out and he'd rather not lie to his boss that was doing him such a generous service, "To have more company."

Beach seems to understand, asking no further questions as he waves over the head department bot to check him out; ensure his memory banks haven't been tampered with, that they aren't lying or have in some other malicious way been altered. This bot is tall, physically capable yet unassuming, unintimating model that they have named Brian. They wears part of a police uniform with the white button shirt under the uniform jacket nearly half unbuttoned to show off his glowing android symbol. They have always been a bit special, a bit more than just another factory line android but that's why the whole of the police department loved them. An unconventional, clever thinker even if this sometimes means they don't behave exactly like expected. 

"They are good, excellent system developments," Brian compliments on the 'personality' that is individual to every android, although it's very debated how much of it is nature versus nurture.

"You're not too bad yourself," Freddie says with a flirty wink that makes Brian smile, apparently pleased as punched to be treated so personably. 

Beach huffs affectionately. "Then they are all yours."

Freddie smiles looking back at Jim, it's odd but it doesn't seem to be the same smile he shared with Brian. Almost as though Brian's good manners were a given but Jim's somehow basic decency is a gift. "Transferring ownership from Blue Valley Corporation to Jimothy R. Hutton as approved by Police Captain James T. Beach."

Brian politely tries to butt in where Jim and Freddie are just standing there, smiling at each other. "May I also provide the necessary software updates?" Both of the Jims nod but Brian isn't looking at either of them, only focused on Freddie who bites his lip and hesitantly nods. The two androids interface as their respective symbols cycle. Once it is done, it's clear that Freddie is processing his new reality. Not only shock, but also seemingly grief. The emotions certainly look real and genuine, to which Brian responses by soothingly rubbing their back, as though it was a human craving physical comfort. Jim doesn't know or particularly care if it's just human mimicry. He just knows he's doing the right thing by not letting Freddie rot in police evidence until the android will be sold at auction.

Jim nods to the newly christened Miami and leads Freddie back to his car. The android sits in his passenger seat looking cold, small and alone in the world. Jim doesn't even know where to start with that but he has some idea of how devastating it would be if he went into a coma and lost that many years. He knows how he would react if it was a human. He looks up and across the barren warehouse lot to find Brian is looking through him, intent and concerned for Freddie clear on his face. As a detective member he's only superficially dealt with any androids, including the new Freestone he got from a recent case.

Freddie looks up startled with his big brown eyes when Jim gently wraps his leather coat around the small form. "I can't imagine what you've just been through and I'm sorry it's happened to you. I am not going to have you decommissioned or disassembled. I am taking you home where hopefully you can be happy, even if that means finding another life, there's nothing forcing you to stay with me."

"I belong to you." 

"I consent now and without condition to renounce my claim on the android I know as Freddie Mercury whenever it should be asked of me," Freddie looks like he might cry but all he does is hold the jacket tighter around himself.

**Author's Note:**

> the pronouns are kind of just however much Jim sees them as having personalities / being people


End file.
